title: Ly49h-deficient C57BL/6 mice: a new mouse cytomegalovirus-susceptible model remains resistant to unrelated pathogens controlled by the NK gene complex.
abstract: Cmv1 was the first mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) resistance locus identified in C57BL/6 mice. It encodes Ly49H, a NK cell-activating receptor that specifically recognizes the m157 viral protein at the surface of MCMV-infected cells. To dissect the effect of the Ly49h gene in host-pathogen interactions, we generated C57BL/6 mice lacking the Ly49h region. We found that 36 h after MCMV infection, the lack of Ly49h resulted in high viral replication in the spleen and dramatically enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production in the serum and spleen. At later points in time, we observed that MCMV induced a drastic loss in CD8(+) T cells in B6.Ly49h(-/-) mice, probably reflecting severe histological changes in the spleen. Overall, our results indicate that Ly49H(+) NK cells contain a systemic production of cytokines that may contribute to the MCMV-induced pathology and play a central role in maintaining normal spleen cell microarchitecture. Finally, we tested the ability of B6.Ly49h(-/-) mice to control replication of Leishmania major and ectromelia virus. Resistance to these pathogens has been previously mapped within the NK gene complex. We found that the lack of Ly49H(+) NK cells is not associated with an altered resistance to L. major. In contrast, absence of Ly49H(+) NK cells seems to afford additional protection against ectromelia infection in C57BL/6 mice, suggesting that Ly49H may recognize ectromelia-infected cells with detrimental effects. Taken together, these results confirm the pivotal role of the Ly49H receptor during MCMV infection and open the way for further investigations in host-pathogen interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Nassima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fodil-Cornu
authors.forename: Seung-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belanger
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Makrigiannis
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: R Mark
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Buller
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Vidal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004481:Ectromelia virus / Q000276:immunology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D055650:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily A / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C527096:Klra8 protein, mouse; D055650:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily A; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell